


Blossoming Belle

by Trainmaster64



Series: Belle Saga [5]
Category: Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends, Thomas the Tank Engine - All Media Types
Genre: Declarations Of Love, F/M, First Kiss, Friendship, Friendship/Love, Gen, Love, Psychological Trauma, Romance, Suffering, Tragedy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-10-05
Updated: 2011-10-05
Packaged: 2018-03-30 18:32:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,484
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3947278
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Trainmaster64/pseuds/Trainmaster64
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Flynn attempts to romance Belle, but runs into complications due to Belle's painful and dark past.</p><p>Story 5 of 6.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Blossoming Belle

Flynn was dozing in his shed at the Search and Rescue Centre. He had been on call that afternoon, responding to a particularly bad fire at the coaling yards. Some boys had left a smouldering cigarette behind, which had promptly set off a nasty fire. The Fat Controller had never been so upset.

Now, Flynn was back at home resting. Belle had arrived later, and the two had chatted briefly before turning in for the night. Flynn had enjoyed that chat… he enjoyed her company… he enjoyed her…

There was no doubt that Flynn was in love with Belle. After letting it slip during a bad fire at Arlesdale End, he had let the subject drop. Belle had told him that, in time, they could be… but she was not ready at that time, and Flynn had not pursued it any further. He had simply resumed his patient waiting, in the hope that one day Belle would see him as he saw her.

Belle began to groan softly in her sleep. Flynn was upset – there was another reason he cared so much about Belle. She had had a very bad past, in which she had been abused by her first love. John… that name and that horrible engine would burn into Flynn’s mind forever. Ever since, Belle had had nightmares regarding those months of torture. They were much less frequent nowadays, but were still very bad when they happened.

Flynn opened his eyes, and began to whisper to Belle as she struggled to sleep. “… Belle… it’s all right, Belle… I’m here, he won’t hurt you…” Despite the fact that he had said these things to her for years, he still meant them as if it were the first time. Flynn would protect Belle and be there for her, even if only as her friend.

As Belle groaned, she began to speak in her sleep: “… no… no… John…” Her face was crumpled in a look of distress, which tore Flynn apart as she began to get louder. “… NO, John, stop… please, please stop! John, STOP! PLEASE! NO!”

Belle screamed sharply as her eyes flew open, brought back to reality at last. The scream died away as she became aware of her surroundings once more. Her face was filling with shame and anguish as she saw Flynn next to her, watching her with concern.

“… I did it again, didn’t I?” Belle asked ashamedly. “Flynn, I’m so sorry, I just –”

“Don’t worry about it, Belle. It’s not your fault at all. You’re doing much better than you were before. It used to be much worse, remember that. Besides, you know I’m usually awake anyways.”

“Yes, but only because of me!” Belle huffed, her eyes watering.

“You know, Belle, that’s not necessarily a bad thing,” Flynn said; Belle gave him a sharp look as he quickly continued. “You’re my friend, Belle, and I really care about you. I want you to be happy. I really don’t mind helping you like this – that’s what friends do.”

“You want to be more, though.” It was not a question, but a statement.

Flynn looked away as he answered, unable to look his friend in the eyes anymore. “Yes, I do. I love you, Belle, and I always will. I understand that you don’t feel that way about me, and that’s all right – I can live with that. So long as we’re still friends, I can be fine. You’re really a good friend, and I don’t want to ever lose that.”

“You’re wrong.”

Flynn looked back at her, confused. “Come again?”

“You’re wrong, Flynn… I… I…”

“What’s wrong, Belle? You ARE a good friend, and don’t ever think differently.”

“… I… love you too.”

It took Flynn a moment to register his pure shock at the words; for a moment, he wasn’t even sure if he had heard her correctly. Belle was now the one looking away from Flynn, her face going red as she sat. She looked so innocent and cute at that moment.

“Y-you what? What did you say?”

“I love you too, Flynn. I think I really do love you.” Belle was still looking away, determined not to see Flynn’s face at that moment. “I love how you’ve always been there for me, even if I haven’t been there for myself. You’re always there, ready to help me when I need it.”

“You don’t need help all the time, though,” Flynn interjected quickly. “You’re a very strong engine on your own. You’re brave and tough.”

“Except when it comes to love,” Belle said. “I’m not good with relationships, Flynn, but… with you, I feel confident. I feel safe. I think I could be really happy with you.”

“You’re always safe here with me,” Flynn said quietly. “Are you sure you really feel this way about me? Why don’t we talk about this in the morning – we can –”

“No!” Belle said quickly; Flynn went silent immediately. “I really do feel this way, Flynn. I don’t want to wait anymore. I know I love you, and you love me… unless you’ve changed your mind,” she said, suddenly turning downcast and upset.

“Oh, Belle, never. I would never stop loving you. Never.” Flynn was completely sincere; truly loving Belle. “I’m willing to be in a relationship with you if you want me to, you know that.”

For a moment, the two were silent, sitting quietly in their shed. The revelation of their newfound love for each other was sinking in. The two looked at each other, and chuckled nervously at the slight tension in the shed, before drifting off to sleep once more.

***

The other engines soon found out about Belle and Flynn’s relationship with each other – the two were not keeping secrets from them, after all. Rosie and Thomas were particularly pleased to hear the news, and both congratulated them after the four of them had finished their work one evening.

Belle and Rosie were chatting in a siding, while Thomas and Flynn rested near the lifeboat stand. The two males were talking about safety regulations, and how lax some engines seemed to be getting with them.

Then, Thomas spoke up. “Flynn, I still can’t believe you and Belle are in love with each other like this!”

“Join the club; we’ve got badges,” Flynn joked. “I can’t believe it either, to be honest. I’ve always liked Belle like this, but she’s never said anything until now.”

“I think,” said Thomas, “that she was waiting until she was comfortable with the idea first.”

“Of course – she said as much before.” Flynn sighed as he gazed out at the sea.

“You’re worrying about Belle’s past, aren’t you?” Thomas asked seriously.

Flynn shot Thomas a sharp look. “Keep your voice down, you… no one is supposed to know, aside from you – she still doesn’t know I told you.”

“Or that I told Rosie.” Thomas immediately went silent; he wasn’t supposed to have let that slip.

Flynn was beet red from restraining himself from shouting at Thomas. “You didn’t…”

“It was when Belle was fighting with her,” Thomas quickly said. “I had to tell Rosie so she understood and wouldn’t get too upset with her.”

Flynn conceded, but was still upset. “Well, then, yes Thomas. I am worried about Belle. She was affected badly by John. He hurt her in ways she should never have been hurt. I don’t want her to hurt herself trying to love me, or trying to do things for me.”

“Sometimes she may need to hurt,” Thomas said wisely. “She may need to face her pain and deal with it.”

“She faces her pain on a regular basis, Thomas. Forgive me if I don’t agree with you. I just don’t want my Belle to do something she’s not comfortable with doing.”

“You don’t have to worry about that so long as you’re with her,” Thomas puffed respectfully. “You always seem to know what to say or do to make Belle happy.”

“Just so long as she can find herself to be happy, Thomas. You know what John did to her. It won’t be easy for her… for me… for us. I’m willing to put in the effort. I just hope she’s able to do the same.”

***

It was later that evening. Belle and Flynn had retired to their shed at the Search and Rescue Centre, facing each other as they remembered old cases from years ago.

“Remember that one case where we had to find that engine that had rolled over?” Flynn was saying to Belle. “We had to search for hours… we looked everywhere. You remember where we found him?”

“Oh, yes,” Belle giggled. “He was on that riverbed where a group of children were playing in him. He kept shouting at them, but they didn’t listen.”

“That, my love, is the reason why Sidney never goes near waterways nowadays.”

Flynn and Belle chuckled quietly as they remembered that time. It was not really that long ago and yet it was. Once they had finished remembering, they gazed into each other’s eyes, seeing themselves together and reflected in each other.

Then, Flynn rolled forward and kissed Belle on the cheek. In hindsight he would never be able to explain exactly what had driven him to do it, other than the fact that Belle looked so beautiful at that precise moment. He gently kissed her cheek very briefly, and then backed away, turning as red as his paintwork from his own daring.

Belle felt her own face beginning to burn red, though her heart also seemed to burn. That kiss had taken her by surprise, leaving her unable to speak for a moment. Stars were dancing in her vision as she saw Flynn retreat, looking like he had been caught in wrongdoing.

“Belle, I –” Flynn began, but Belle stopped him with a small kiss on his cheek. Her kiss was feather light and made Flynn burn up even more. Belle was so sweet, so innocent, and so very different from her normally loud and large presence… Flynn actually liked this.

“That was nice,” Belle said simply, causing them both to giggle nervously. Belle in particular was unsure how to proceed, particularly because this would be the first time since… no. She wouldn’t think of that now. She would NOT… but she was.

“What should we do now?” asked Belle innocently, trying to cover up her feelings.

“Oh, I think I have an idea or two…” Flynn smiled softly. Belle knew what he meant, and she began to turn red as they began to move into each other.

Belle’s emotions were beginning to run wild. Flynn was moving slowly closer to her, his eyes closed. She knew what they were about to do… Belle closed her eyes and inched ever closer to him, wanting this more than he realized.

Flynn moved closer to Belle. Belle moved closer to Flynn. The two were close to each other…

… Flynn opened his eyes. Belle had backed into a corner of the shed, fear evident upon her face. She was turning red with embarrassment as she stared at Flynn. Tears began to leak from her eyes.

“F-Flynn… I… I… I’m so sorry, Flynn, I can’t do this!” Belle wailed, as she tore out of the shed, sobbing. Flynn was horrified – he had not expected things to turn out like this. Calling after her, he raced off in pursuit of his love.

***

Belle had stopped in a siding, hiding from the world so she could focus upon her shame. She felt absolutely awful – she couldn’t love Flynn. She doubted if she could have loved Toby. She could not love anyone – she would be better off alone. Better to be alone, than to have someone share her misery and torment. John had won after all – he had truly broken her. She was damaged goods.

Flynn was coming closer and closer. Belle stayed silent, forcing herself to refrain from calling to him – she had had experience with that, all right. Silently she sat, hoping that he would give up and go back home…

But Belle had forgotten that Flynn was, like her, a member of the Search and Rescue team. He was trained in observation, and making sure that nothing was amiss. Belle had no hope of being left alone – Flynn spotted her and moved towards her.

Belle recoiled, and Flynn stopped. “Belle, what’s wrong? What happened? Did I do something wrong?”

Belle stayed silent. She didn’t know how to respond. How could she, knowing that she had run away because of John?

“Belle, please,” Flynn called. “Talk to me. What’s wrong? Please, talk to me.”

Flynn was getting worried and, remembering Thomas’ advice, decided to try to inflame her into a response – this was a mistake. “This is about me, isn’t it? This is entirely my fault. I shouldn’t have tried to kiss you.”

“No. No, Flynn, it’s my fault.” Belle was distraught. “It’s all my fault. I’m not good enough for you.”

“That’s not it at all, Belle; I know it. What’s it really about - you don’t really love me, do you? You don’t even like me. You’re not confident or safe around me!” Flynn spoke ruthlessly, determined to try to get Belle to open up to him like she had before.

“No! Flynn, NO!” Belle cried. “Flynn, I love you. It’s me, not you – I’m the one who is damaged, I’m broken. Don’t do this, Flynn!”

“Belle, you’re NOT damaged or broken – you’re whole and beautiful, and scared, but I need you to talk to me so I can understand. What are you scared of, Belle?” Then, he added: “If it’s me, I can fix that right away – I’ll leave you alone from now on.” Flynn looked absolutely devastated as he spoke, aching inside but fully intending to do such a thing should he need to.

“NO! NO, FLYNN, NO! DON’T LEAVE ME!” Belle shrieked, tears pouring down her face. “It’s John! I see John, Flynn, he’s there! You try to kiss me and I see him, about to… He attacked me, Flynn, he loved me and he hurt me! He hurt me, Flynn! Please don’t leave me! I DON’T WANT HIM TO HURT ME ANYMORE!” Her eyes were wide with deep distress and upset.

Then, Belle stopped. The world seemed to freeze as what color there was in her face drained from it. Belle started to tremble with unseen fear, quivering as her mouth began to open and close wordlessly.

“B-Belle?” Flynn asked; he was getting very concerned about Belle now. “Belle?”

Belle did not respond. She gave no intonation that she had even heard him. Her eyes seemed to be staring through him, not on him. Everything had gone silent.

Suddenly, she screamed a piercing scream of terror, which echoed for miles. Belle screamed and screamed, eventually managing to scream words: “JOHN! NO, JOHN! HELP ME! SOMEBODY HELP ME! STOP IT! NO!”

Flynn rolled forward to Belle at once, who screamed even louder and moved as far back as she could go. Belle was shaking with fear, completely driven out of her right mind. “NO, JOHN! NO MORE, NO MORE! KILL ME!”

Flynn felt truly sickened with himself. He had pushed his love to this point. He had made her afraid of him. All of Belle’s fears and trauma had returned tenfold, and it was driving her into insanity. Flynn had to stop this before she was truly driven over the brink.

There was only one thing he could do. He flashed his lights, sounded his horn, and bellowed: “THIS IS THE SEARCH AND RESCUE SQUADRON! CEASE AND DESIST, JOHN!”

“FLYNN, SAVE ME! HELP ME!” Belle screamed, her delusions supplying her with the images of Flynn’s arrival to save her from John’s torture.

“I’m here, Belle, I’m here,” Flynn called, as Belle screamed. “Belle, it’s all right, I’m right here. I’m not going anywhere. He’s gone, he’s finished, and he won’t hurt you anymore.”

Belle lunged forwards, attempting to fight against the imagined John; Flynn held steady as Belle pushed and fought against him, trying to escape from her imagined torture. After a moment, she recoiled again, screaming in fear of her torture while Flynn tried to calm her down and bring her back to sanity.

Eventually, Belle had quietened down somewhat, but was still moaning with worry. “Flynn, he’s in my mind… John, NO! STOP IT! He’s torturing me in my MIND, Flynn! I’m going crazy, Flynn, he’s broken me! John’s broken me, he’s breaking me! He’s torturing me, Flynn! What do I do?”

“Kiss me, Belle. Kiss me and drive him out.”

And Flynn kissed Belle delicately yet purposefully upon her lips. Belle froze instantly, all sound disappearing as she was gently kissed by Flynn. Her eyes were wide and her face red, as Flynn continued to kiss her very gently and tenderly on her trembling lips. He knew that this was a huge gamble – he could only hope that it would work out.

Then, Flynn broke off and backed away. His face was full of concern. “He’s not there, my love. John’s gone and he will never return. You are safe here with me.”

There was absolute silence. No one moved or spoke. Belle was looking at Flynn with a curious look upon her face – Flynn couldn’t describe it. He was absolutely terrified that he had actually shattered his love’s mind this time with his kiss.

Then Belle inched forwards, tentatively, until she was inches away from him. “What did you say, Flynn?”

“You’re safe with me. Always.”

“No, before that. What did you call me?”

“My love?” Flynn was confused. “You are my love, Belle, my one and only. I love you.”

With eyes watering, Belle kissed Flynn gently upon his lips. “I love you too, my fiery Flynn,” she murmured, tears silently running down her face as she kissed his lips. “Hold me, Flynn. Keep me safe.”

“I’ll always keep you safe, my love,” Flynn whispered, before he began to kiss Belle in return. The two were kissing each other, lost in their love for each other.

Then, Belle broke off. “Oh, Flynn,” she moaned, “I’m so sorry. I was the one who was wrong, Flynn. I was scared… I was afraid of getting hurt again. When he kissed me… and then he… oh, Flynn…”

“You know I’ll never hurt you, Belle. I’ve always loved you. I’m the one who was wrong this time – I am so sorry I did that to you. I’d never leave you, you know that, Belle. Please,” he begged, “please forgive me, Belle. Please.”

Belle said nothing. Flynn felt despair… until he felt Belle kiss him again, sweetly and softly. Her lips were tender and delicate upon his, kissing him gently for a while.

“I forgive you, Flynn. I needed to see that I was safe with you… I always have been.” Belle smiled at him, her face glowing with love. “I’ve never been kissed like that before.”

“Never?” Flynn was stunned. “You’re so beautiful and caring – how could no one want to kiss you or hold you?”

“Oh, they wanted to,” Belle sighed, “but I was too scared. I couldn’t tell them why, but I was too scared. It was too close to those times… I had to keep away from them. He… he kissed me, Flynn, but never like that, never. I wanted to kiss you, Flynn, I really did, but I just…”

“Then let me kiss you again. Let me hold you and kiss you forever, Belle. Let me love you like I do.” Flynn spoke quietly and with fervent passion, wanting nothing more than to hold Belle and keep her safe.

Belle moved into him, kissing him with tender love and passion. The two kissed each other for a few minutes, simply reveling in this simple act of love and care for each other that, until a few minutes ago, had been unthinkable.

Then Flynn’s tongue brushed carefully against her lips, seeking passage. Belle opened her eyes, nervousness seeping in. Flynn quickly withdrew his tongue, cursing himself, and simply resumed kissing Belle upon the lips with gentle care.

Belle, however, broke off and backed up slightly. She looked perturbed. “Flynn, I –”

“I know, my love. You don’t have to say anything. When you’re ready, we’ll do that. However, I promise you that you’ll enjoy it when you’re ready.”

“Are you sure, Flynn?” Belle asked. “I can kiss you like that if you want.”

“And I can wait. I don’t want you to do anything you don’t want to do, Belle. Just tell me and we won’t do it. I don’t want you to hurt anymore.”

“Thank you, Flynn,” Belle whispered, as Flynn kissed her very softly upon her cheek. Belle felt her face becoming red with love and passion. “Thank you for loving me.”

“You deserve it,” Flynn said softly. “You deserve to be loved, Belle. I’ll love you forever.”

Belle began to cry as she kissed Flynn again and again, giving him as much love as she could while he held her and whispered sweet nothings to her. Flynn would let her love him how she wanted, not how he wanted. He would help her heal romantically. He would be there for her.

“I’m going to tell the others about me,” Belle said at last. “I’ll tell them the truth about me, and I’ll tell the Fat Controller too. They need to know the truth about me, before… things get out of hand again.” It was clear that Belle was incredibly ashamed of her earlier episode.

Flynn moved closer to Belle. “That was NOT your fault,” he said firmly. “That was mine. However, I do think it would be a good idea for you to tell them… at least a few of your best friends, for the time being. Do you really want everyone to know?”

Belle reconsidered. “No, you’re right,” she sighed. “I’ll only tell a few of my friends.”

“I’ll tell the Fat Controller for you, if you like,” Flynn offered. “I know it’ll be hard for you to tell it once, but I don’t want you to have to do it twice.”

“Thanks, Flynn. I love you.” Belle paused for a moment, before saying: “I love you, Flynn. I’ll try to get more comfortable with you but I don’t know how easy it’ll be. It won’t be easy.”

“That’s why I came to see you that night, all those years ago, Belle. That’s why I came to work with you here on Sodor. That’s why I help you through the nights. I’ll always be here to help you, Belle – I love you. Just tell me what I can do for you and I’ll do it. I’ll do anything you want me to, Belle – I love you so much. I don’t ever want to lose you.”

“Stop,” Belle whispered through her tears, “you’re making me cry again. Hold me, Flynn. I need you to love me forever. I need you to kiss me and be with me. I just need you to need me… because I need you.”

Flynn kissed Belle gently, carefully leading her back to the shed. No one had seen what had transpired that evening – Belle had moved many miles on her road to recovery. Flynn would be there to help her along through the rest of the way.

***

Flynn had spoken to the Fat Controller, telling him about Belle’s dark past. He left out no details; Flynn knew that he of all men had to hear the story to better understand. After Flynn had finished, the Fat Controller had actually had to sit down for a moment, taking deep breaths. Once he had recovered, he immediately agreed to have Flynn and Belle share a shed together permanently. They would not be separated from each other anymore – they would work independently, of course, but would be there for each other when they needed to be.

It was Belle, however, who told the other engines about what had happened to her. She had gathered her close friends with her and Flynn at the Search and Rescue Centre, and proceeded to tell them about herself. Though Thomas and Rosie already knew, they were still as disgusted and shocked as everyone else.

Belle left out no detail; she gave description and at several points had to recompose herself before continuing. Toby looked horrified, while Emily had gone a dull shade of white. Rosie was shivering as Thomas kept her close, though he too was appalled; they hadn’t heard the full details of what had transpired and were upset.

“Oh, Belle,” Emily cried, her voice thick with tears. “I’m so sorry! Why didn’t you ever tell any of us? We could have helped you, we could have supported you! We still can!”

“I was afraid,” Belle said simply. “I didn’t know any of you back then, and I couldn’t bear to have your thoughts about me change if you knew. I wanted you to know me as the big, strong Belle you first met.”

“You are strong, Belle,” Rosie puffed quietly. “You’re big, Belle.”

“You’re brave, Belle,” Thomas chuffed.

“You’re our friend, Belle,” Toby finished. “We would never let anything happen to you.”

Belle’s eyes were filling with tears as she beamed at her true friends. “Oh, thank you all so much,” she gushed. “Just promise me you’ll treat me the same as before. I don’t want things to change.”

The engines all agreed; Belle was still as outgoing and present as ever. The only real difference was that now the engines knew she was far braver than any of them could imagine. In retrospect, they had already known this as well. Nothing would change.

Belle smiled at her friends and love. She was grateful to be here on Sodor with them all – she was a strong engine, and she knew her friends would help her to stay strong. With Flynn in particular, things looked much brighter in her future.

***

Flynn and Belle were resting in their shed at the Search and Rescue Centre. It had been a long day – Belle had been out on call for a heavy rescue operation, and Flynn had been fighting a grass fire near Wellsworth.

The fire engine gave a great yawn. Belle, facing him, appeared to be sound asleep. Flynn sincerely hoped that Belle would get a decent night’s sleep tonight. She was so pretty when she slept, completely at peace.

“Goodnight, my love,” Flynn whispered to the still engine in front of him. He closed his eyes, and drifted into a light sleep.

Belle’s eyes fluttered open as Flynn began to sleep. Smiling gently, she rolled carefully forward and kissed him very lightly on his lips. Blushing, she kissed him for a few moments, before reversing back into place.

“Goodnight, my fiery Flynn.”

Both Belle and Flynn had small smiles upon their faces as they slept soundly through the night.


End file.
